hypabyssal

[ hip-uh-bis-uhl, hahy-puh- ]

adjectiveGeology.
  1. (of an igneous rock) intermediate in texture between coarse-grained intrusive rocks and fine-grained extrusive rocks.

  2. noting any of various minor intrusions, as dikes and sills, that have crystallized under conditions intermediate between plutonic and extrusive.

Origin of hypabyssal

1
First recorded in 1890–95; hyp- + abyssal

Words Nearby hypabyssal

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British Dictionary definitions for hypabyssal

hypabyssal

/ (ˌhɪpəˈbɪsəl) /


adjective
  1. (of igneous rocks) derived from magma that has solidified at shallow depth in the form of dykes, sills, etc

Origin of hypabyssal

1
C19: from hyp- + -abyssal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012